For many types of worksites a model of the worksite terrain is a valuable tool. Terrain models are typically represented by terrain datasets which store information regarding the terrain. Terrain datasets can be processed by computer processing systems to present visualisations of the terrain in question and for various worksite-related tasks. For example, a worksite terrain model may be used to plan paths to be traversed by people and/or machines operating on the worksite.
The more accurate a worksite terrain model is, the more useful it is.
Generating and maintaining an up-to-date terrain model of a worksite, however, is challenging. This is particularly the case in worksites that cover large areas and which have terrain which changes significantly over time.
Such challenges are present, for example, in open-cut mine worksites. Open-cut mine worksites can be very large—the Fimiston Open Pit mine in Australia being approximately 3.5 km long×1.5 km wide by 570 m deep. Typically, the terrain of open-cut mine worksites is also highly changeable, with the majority of worksite operations altering the terrain—e.g. blasting, excavating, loading, grading, hauling material and the like.